Cynthia McKinney on Budget & Economy

Green Party nominee for President (Former Rep., D, GA-4)

We have plenty of money for programs; itís just misallocated

Q: What can we do about the budget deficit and under-funded mandates?

A: There is enough money to supply those under-funded and unfunded [programs]. When the Pentagon spends $60 million buying Tamiflu, at a time when the Secretary of Defense owns stock
in the company that makes Tamiflu, and Tamiflu doesnít even prevent bird flu because it mutates; When the Pentagon spends $700 billion, and the Pentagon admits that they lost $2.3 billion; There is no dearth of money, it is a question of political will.

Get minorities into home ownership & global marketplace.

McKinney adopted the CBC principles:

The CBC is focused on economic empowerment issues including:

New Markets and Small and Minority Business Development. The CBC will seek to increase opportunities for minority and small and disadvantaged businesses by expanding contracting opportunities in the public and private sectors, increasing access to capital, creating tax incentives for capital improvements, removing outdated and restrictive regulatory barriers, and streamlining and enhancing procurement tools to encourage minority and small business utilization.

Trade and Global Economic Empowerment.
The CBC will work to ensure that the benefits of the dynamic global marketplace extend to minority businesses, and Africa and developing countries. To this end, the CBC will propose and support trade and investment initiatives designed to bridge the global digital divide, create jobs, improve infrastructure, promote sustainable development, and raise living and work standards for people of color around the globe. Moreover, the CBC will work to ensure that Americaís international trade agenda and priorities also meet these goals.

Increasing Affordable Housing Opportunities. The CBCís goal is to increase the nationís homeownership rates. Home ownership is one of the best wealth creation vehicles for minority families. We will work with lending institutions and community organizations to ensure that minorities are afforded every opportunity to realize the dream of owning a home.